When We Found Home

Santiago whistled. “Two new sisters. Any others out there lurking?”

“Not that Jerry knew about. Those were the only two mentioned in his papers.”

“If the DNA test is a match, then what?”

Malcolm looked at him. “Guess.”

“Let’s see. Alberto will fly her out here and move her into the house.”

“Bingo.”

“You’re awash in sisters. That’s nice. I would have liked a sister.”

“Take one of mine.”

Santiago chuckled. “I do great with kids.”

“Yes, you do. It’s annoying.”

“I’m a people person.”

“That you are.”

“You’re better-looking but no one notices because you’re such a tight ass.”

Instead of laughing, Malcolm turned away. “Do you know how Keira had me listed in her phone?”

“What do you mean? She had your name wrong?”

“No.” Malcolm looked at him. “On her contact list, I’m her asshole brother.”

Santiago winced. “I’m sorry, Malcolm. She’s having a tough time making the transition. It’s still all new to her.”

“Yeah, I know.” He rose. “You’re in her contacts, too. Under your real name. Hell of a thing.”

“It’ll get better.”

“You sure?” Malcolm shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll figure it out. Thanks for covering the meetings for me.”

“No problem.”

He watched his friend walk away and wished he knew how to fix the problem, or at least mitigate it. Maybe if he talked to Keira or...

No, he told himself. Malcolm had to figure out Keira in his own way. Santiago stepping in to play hero wouldn’t help anyone, or so his brothers had told him about five thousand times.

chapter six (#u3d8ccde5-67ec-5c12-9000-a4f15836f45a)

Delaney had lived in Seattle all her life and still wasn’t the least bit familiar with the area where Keira and Malcolm lived—probably because if the world were separated into haves and have-nots, she would definitely find herself on the side of the latter.

The closer she got to Lake Washington, the larger the homes and lots got until she was pretty sure they were called estates rather than something as pedestrian as houses.

She checked street numbers on mostly closed security gates and was surprised to find herself turning onto a gate-free driveway. The house in front of her was huge—massively tall and wide, with dozens of windows and double front doors that were suited for a modern castle. As she drove along the curved driveway to park in front of the house, she caught sight of the lake beyond.

Lake Washington was a long narrow lake only a couple of miles wide but over twenty miles long. It was beautiful, offered plenty of lakefront living but created a traffic nightmare for the east side of the metropolitan area. Finding one’s way around traffic jams could be challenging when there was a giant lake in the middle of the commute corridors.

Delaney parked by the front door and looked at the carrier in the passenger seat. “You, young lady, have hit the jackpot. This house is going to be quite the kitty playground. You could get lost for days and I mean that in a good way.”

The kitten meowed in response.

Delaney got out of her car. Before she could circle to the trunk and start unloading supplies, the front door opened and an attractive brown-haired woman walked out. She was maybe in her fifties, wearing jeans and a dark green twinset on the cool, cloudy April day.

“You must be Delaney,” the woman said, holding out her hand. “I’m Carmen. I’m Mr. Carlesso’s housekeeper.” Carmen smiled. “That would be the senior Mr. Carlesso. You might have heard Keira called him Grandfather Alberto.”

“Yes, that is what she calls him. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve brought Keira’s kitten. How’s she doing?”

“Much better. She’s still stiff and sore, but she’s moving around and eating.” Carmen’s mouth twisted. “When Malcolm called and told me there’d been an accident, I didn’t know what to think. We were all so frightened. She’s still a little girl and she hasn’t been here very long. I didn’t want anything to happen to her.”

At the mention of Malcolm’s name, Delaney felt her stomach tighten. She was still trying to reconcile the sexy, teasing man who bought coffee from her with the cold-eyed brother who knew next to nothing about his own sister. She told herself not to judge, but it was hard not to.

At least she didn’t have to worry about running into him—it was just after three in the afternoon. Malcolm would be at the office. He didn’t strike her as the type to work from home.

“I’m glad she’s better,” Delaney said. “I’m hoping her kitten will cheer her up.”

Carmen laughed. “Lizzy is all she’s talked about. Come on. Let’s get her upstairs.”

Delaney had gone a little crazy at the pet store. In addition to a litter box and some food, she’d bought a bed and plenty of toys.

Delaney stacked the bags of cat litter onto a small, collapsible hand truck Carmen got for her, then put the case of cat food on top of the bags. She slung her tote over her shoulder and grabbed the bed and the bag of toys while Carmen collected the carrier and they went inside.

The foyer was large, soaring up two stories. If she had to guess, she would say the house had been built around the turn of the last century. There was beautifully carved wood everywhere, high ceilings and comfortable furniture. Delaney had a brief impression of a huge living room, a formal dining room and a long hallway before they went into the kitchen. Behind the pantry was an old-fashioned dumbwaiter.

“I don’t use it much,” Carmen said as she opened the door and they loaded the cat litter and food inside. “But it has its moments.”

After she pushed a button, the doors closed and the motor kicked in. Carmen led the way back to the main, curved staircase and they went up to the second floor.

The upstairs dumbwaiter access was in a large linen closet. They stacked the litter bags and cat food on the hand truck before Carmen led the way down a hallway to two sets of double doors. They went to the far set and Carmen knocked once before opening a door and stepping inside.

“Guess who?” she called, her tone cheerful.

Keira raced toward them. “You’re here! Did you bring Lizzy? Is she all right? Does she know I’m going to take good care of her?”

Delaney had only ever seen Keira in her school uniform. Out of the plaid skirt and white shirt, the preteen looked happier and younger. The healing bruise on the side of her face was the only reminder of the accident.

Impulsively Delaney set down her tote and packages and held out her arms. “I’m so glad to see you.”

Keira hesitated only a second before flinging herself at Delaney and hanging on so tight, it was difficult to breathe.

“You scared me,” Delaney whispered. “I was so afraid you were really hurt. You can never do that again!”